Rules for Buying a Motorcycle on Craigslist, Part 1: The Hunt

With Labor Day done, the best time to buy a motorcycle is near. Soon, Craigslist will bulge with ads from riders who need the winter garage space, or just don’t want to wait for next spring to sell it. The tide is turning, and smart buyers will be ready to make their moves.

It’s not just about better bargaining power. Buy now and you’ll have the cold months to customize, or fix anything you missed during your pre-purchase inspection. Or you could buy and repair in the Spring, and watch as the prime riding days slip through your grease-covered, wrench-holding fingers.

Whichever you decide, my rules for buying your motorcycle on Craigslist will apply. Fraudsters abound. No method is foolproof, but here are some ways to minimize your risk.

Anything I left out? Please mention it in the comments.

1. Play Detective

            First, run the ad’s photos through Google Image Search. Did a ton of ads pop up with the exact same image? It’s probably a fake ad. Move on.

Do the photos all come from one angle, or do they look like they’re trying to hide something? Keep it in mind if you go look at the bike. Look for date stamps on the photos, and signs of weather conditions when the photos were taken. If the pictures have snow in them and it’s September, and you’re not above the Arctic Circle, the owner has probably tried (and failed) to sell it before. Maybe it’s nothing, but at the very least it’s something to ask about. (See Part II, Going to See the Bike)

Next, take a few of the sentences of the ad copy and Google them, one at a time. Try them with and without quotation marks at the beginning and end. Does the same ad pop up with different pictures? Bang, you’ve found a dirtbag. Do the same thing for the phone number and email address. Does your search return warnings, or a bunch of ads selling different bikes? Good reasons to look elsewhere, or at least lower your expectations.

2. Read Skeptically

This goes for life in general – if you see what you want to believe is true, freeze. Go back and look over it again.  And again. Everyone has the bike they really want, and the one they’ll settle for. Is your dream bike for sale at a ridiculously low price, because the owner is in the army and going overseas? Hit the brakes. This person is laying a story on you, and you haven’t even contacted them yet. Long stories, stupid-low prices and the like are red flags. Ignore them if you wish, but be hyper-vigilant when looking at the bike, if you get that far.

3. Get the Seller on the Phone

This is essential. Texting doesn’t count. Have a voice conversation, with the seller, about the bike. Ask an open-ended question like “what can you tell me about it?” They may well reply by asking what you want to know. Be ready with a few specific questions. Do they “er, ah, um,” a little too much? Do they contradict themselves? Take notes, because you’ll forget what they said after you hang up, or you’ll mix up what they said with another bike you called about.

Of equal importance is the way they react to your questions. Are they cagey and evasive? Are they happy to talk about the bike? For lack of a better term, do they sound like they’re full of shit? This call is about getting a feel for the person.

4. Know Before You Go

OK, so you’ve decided to go look at a bike or two. You’ve probably researched the bejesus out of motorcycles for the last couple of months. You’re in the homestretch. Don’t go weak. If you haven't already, Google the bike’s year and model, along with phrases like pros and cons, known issues, piece of crap, recall, and what to look for.  You might find this “fantastic value” is a maintenance nightmare, or notoriously crumbles to pieces at 20,000 miles. At the very least, instead of staring blankly at the engine and saying “sounds nice,” you’ll know where to poke and prod to find the issues.

So you’ve run through this list and your target bike is still standing. You’re reasonably prepared. Now you need to read Rules for Looking at a Used Motorcycle on Craigslist Part II: Going to See the Bike.

Or take a look through the day-by-day accounts of my 2014 coast-to-coast-and-back motorcycle trip. 

There's also a fun story about my harrowing bus ride in Indonesia.